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The genteel game of croquet was the highlight of the evening on Saturday at the second annual Victorian lawn party at the Humphrey History Park and Museum.

Participants — some dressed in white, reminiscent of lawn parties of old — played rounds of croquet in a friendly tournament to determine a champion. The players were supportive and helped each other out in the game, which can be cutthroat.

Evergreen High School graduates have ventured into diverse careers ranging from graphic design and writing to social work. One graduate is teaching dance in Tanzania, and another creates jewelry at her studio in Arizona.
Here is a glimpse into the lives of five alumni.

The party after the Freedom Run on Saturday definitely fit the bill: a sea of blue T-shirts worn by the nearly 1,000 participants in the 5K run/walk, and red T-shirts worn by hundreds of volunteers who made the race and party happen.

How fitting for the 34th annual July 4 morning tradition that benefits Mount Evans Home Health Care & Hospice.

It’s 1 a.m. on Dec. 21 as Tim Shirley goes to bed at his in-laws’ home in Hartsel after a whirlwind trip to Oklahoma to pick up a recently purchased truck. His wife, Mindy, didn’t think anything was out of the ordinary the next morning as Tim snored away, undoubtedly exhausted from his travels.

Undaunted by rain showers, Rocky Graziano joined a large gathering of people taking the inaugural walk across the new connector trail leading from downtown to Evergreen Lake Park on the evening of May 29.

Scouts from Troops 737 and 1776 and Packs 39 and 50 volunteered their time Friday evening and Saturday morning to place American flags on veterans’ graves at Bear Creek Cemetery and Evergreen Memorial Park in time for the holiday.

The soggy ground made the work easy, and the rain abated temporarily while the Scouts did their patriotic duty.

After cleaning trash from Kittredge Community Park, residents had an opportunity to see the plan for park improvements on Saturday. Although wet snow that began falling about noon deterred some participants, a small group gathered under canopies to enjoy lunch and discuss the project.

Evergreen landscape architect Diane Schade contributed her services to design the plan, which features creative playground equipment for youngsters, including a covered sliding board structure and rotating rides.

In the case of Mountain Pal, a palomino quarter horse who died of natural causes recently, he was introduced to many young children near owner Randi Levin’s home, and in at least one case, he changed a life.

Marking the 70th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day, an exhibit illustrating the role of Jefferson County in World War II opened at the Hiwan Homestead Museum on Friday.

Titled “We Can Do It: Jefferson County in World War II,” the exhibit features a large aerial photo of the former Denver Ordnance Plant in Lakewood, where 22,000 employees of the Remington Arms Co. produced ammunition for the war effort in the 1940s.

The now-defunct Journey Community Church — the upstart congregation that once drew hundreds of Sunday worshipers to the Conifer High auditorium — has severed its last tangible tie to the area by selling its 45-acre ranch.

Pitcher finished up the tough, local challenge in 1:54 minutes, a few seconds under the cut-off time of 2 minutes considered “really good” by Evergreen Fire/Rescue volunteer firefighters.
The fire department-sponsored challenge on Monday was followed by a dinner, and Pitcher was the featured speaker.

People love growing tomatoes and peppers, says Kittredge gardener Tina Kellogg. However, at high altitudes such as Evergreen where the growing season is short, it’s advisable to get a head start by starting seedlings indoors, she says.

Even short-season varieties of tomatoes need to be seedlings before they are transplanted into a garden, Kellogg explains.

Longtime Evergreen High School baseball dad Glenn Grise believes the game is a metaphor for life.

“If you think about it, baseball is a game of failure,” he said. “They count your errors. Hitting the ball three times out of 10 is considered good. The thing is to stay positive through the adversity.”

He also was a teller of awful jokes, a great cook and an avid fisherman.

His zest for life was apparent in the stories that his family — his wife, Ellen, and daughter Joy — told on Saturday at a fund-raiser for one of Greg’s favorite charities, the Blue Spruce Kiwanis Aktion Club.

Greg, 67, died Jan. 22 when the ATV he was driving fell through the ice at Evergreen Lake while he was readying the surface for the Evergreen Ice Golf Tournament, which had been scheduled for Jan. 26.